I was pretty sure I had heard of Ginger before, but also knew I had never eaten there. But the second I walked in and saw the stack of take-out menus on the counter, I knew why it sounded familiar. It's one of the dozens of menus that get slid under my door each week by delivery guys. Great. My friends left the restaurant selection up to me since I'm the one with a new restaurant blog, and I picked place that does 95% of its business via take-out/delivery!
Once I looked past the menus, my first thought was, wow this place is deserted and so plain inside. Guess it wouldn't make sense to spend a single penny on decor if next to no one is going to see it. I saw my friends at one of the two tables that were occupied, and hoped that they wouldn't be slightly disappointed like I was. Luckily we were all just excited to see each other after the holiday "break," and I was off the hook. (Right girls?!)
I've mentioned in a previous post how I'm not exactly the most adventurous sushi eater. I am proud to say, though, that I've come a long way from my days in college where I'd order my staple of chicken teriyaki, while all of my friends were served wooden boats covered in dozens of sushi rolls. Despite my increasing willingness to try new things in the past few years, there's still something comforting about ordering the good ol' chicken teriyaki. And if I'm going that route, why not go all out and order a bento box...which is exactly what I did last night at Ginger.
I knew my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I was OK with that. Something about a lot of food, including hot miso soup sounded so good on a night with temperatures below 20 degrees. I have no clue what "bento" means in Japanese, but my guess at a translation would be "a little bit of everything." And that is exactly what I got. Granted everything was very small portions, but it included miso soup, vegetable gyoza, a California roll, seaweed salad, green salad, mixed tempura, and chicken teriyaki. I think I'm in another food coma after typing that all out!
I was really happy that it all worked out in the end...we enjoyed our food, and, of course, the company. But if you're looking for a cool ambiance or lively crowd (aside from the people you're with!), pass this one by.
Some suggestions:
- Unless you live in around the block and don't want to wait for delivery, I'd just order in from this place. Of the countless sushi/japanese menus I have in my apartment, I may move this one a little closer to the top of the stack.
- I've decided a bento box is a great solution when you're feeling indecisive about what to order.
- The tempura was really fresh, and very tasty.
Ginger
146 East 55th Street
b/t 3rd & Lexington Avenues
Menu Pages listing
Once I looked past the menus, my first thought was, wow this place is deserted and so plain inside. Guess it wouldn't make sense to spend a single penny on decor if next to no one is going to see it. I saw my friends at one of the two tables that were occupied, and hoped that they wouldn't be slightly disappointed like I was. Luckily we were all just excited to see each other after the holiday "break," and I was off the hook. (Right girls?!)
I've mentioned in a previous post how I'm not exactly the most adventurous sushi eater. I am proud to say, though, that I've come a long way from my days in college where I'd order my staple of chicken teriyaki, while all of my friends were served wooden boats covered in dozens of sushi rolls. Despite my increasing willingness to try new things in the past few years, there's still something comforting about ordering the good ol' chicken teriyaki. And if I'm going that route, why not go all out and order a bento box...which is exactly what I did last night at Ginger.
I knew my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and I was OK with that. Something about a lot of food, including hot miso soup sounded so good on a night with temperatures below 20 degrees. I have no clue what "bento" means in Japanese, but my guess at a translation would be "a little bit of everything." And that is exactly what I got. Granted everything was very small portions, but it included miso soup, vegetable gyoza, a California roll, seaweed salad, green salad, mixed tempura, and chicken teriyaki. I think I'm in another food coma after typing that all out!
I was really happy that it all worked out in the end...we enjoyed our food, and, of course, the company. But if you're looking for a cool ambiance or lively crowd (aside from the people you're with!), pass this one by.
Some suggestions:
- Unless you live in around the block and don't want to wait for delivery, I'd just order in from this place. Of the countless sushi/japanese menus I have in my apartment, I may move this one a little closer to the top of the stack.
- I've decided a bento box is a great solution when you're feeling indecisive about what to order.
- The tempura was really fresh, and very tasty.
Ginger
146 East 55th Street
b/t 3rd & Lexington Avenues
Menu Pages listing
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